1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for continuously molding a composite material by use of prepreg obtained by impregnating a thermosetting resin into a carbon fibre or the like. In this method, through the use of a prepreg peel ply with the resin impregnated therein, the composite material has uniform sectional thickness at the time of continuous molding, and the prepreg peel ply and/or an unnecessary portion of the prepreg are peeled and removed after curing so that the thickness of the composite material varies stepwise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques for continuously molding a prepreg material are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-4315 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-102029 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-191418 (Patent Document 3).
The foregoing documents (Patent Documents 1 to 3) disclose molding of a member having a uniform sectional shape and uniform sectional thickness, but do not disclose molding of a member with its sectional shape and thickness varied.